Incredible 1950s Austin-Healey is plated with 24-carat GOLD and is the firm’s most extravagant model EVER – it’s tipped to sell for £420,000

Designed to dazzle crowds at the 1958 London Motor Show, this Austin-Healey certainly managed to turn heads. And now it's going under the hammer for six times the price of the basic model

By Dan Elsom

3rd November 2017, 2:16 pm

Updated: 3rd November 2017, 2:28 pm

THE most extravagant Austin-Healey ever made is due to go under the hammer for almost half a million pounds later this year.

Featured in the 1958 London Motor Show, the 100-Six "Goldie" got its name from the 24-carat gold exterior it boasts on the body finishings and wheels.

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"Goldie" is the most extravagant Austin-Healey ever

Originally built as a project to dazzle the audience at the 50s car show, the drop top was manufactured in private away from the firm's regularly operating hours.

Along with the incredible gold features, which include tiny washers and screws, it is finished with a brilliant ivory paintwork.

The seats, dashboard, inner doors, and side panels are trimmed in Champagne Connolly kid leather while other parts of the trim were covered in mink fur.

It was originally even paired with an ignition key and key ring that came entirely gold-plated.

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The interior is made up of kid leather and mink fur

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The 100-Six comes with a 120bhp engine

At the time of production, the motor was estimated to have been worth around £4,000 - four times the price of a regular 110-Six model.

In today's market, the one-of-a-kind model has been given an even more impressive valuation, expected to sell for around six times the price of a standard 11-Six at £420,000.

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The motor attracted a value four times the price of a regular model back in 1958

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The gold plating goes down to the finest detail

Under the bonnet of the 100-Six is a 2.7-litre engine which develops around 120bhp - giving it a 0-60mph time of 11 seconds and a top speed of 111mph - although one owner claimed to have pushed it as high as 120mph.

The motor was originally offered as a contest prize by The Daily Express, and was first road-registered in February 1959.

It has since had a number of owners, and been restored at different stages throughout its travels.

Interestingly, while undergoing work in the US, restorers found that some cosmetic work performed on the car during its manufacture had resulted in a stiffened chassis, meaning the car was uncharacteristically smooth.

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Part of the modification had inadvertently changed the way the chassis operated, making the car drive as smooth as ever

Augustin Sabatie-Garat, car specialist at RM Sotheby's, said: "The post-war Austin-Healeys are truly iconic British sports cars with their purposeful design and strong performance.
"The one-off 'Goldie' car is a unique factory-created example, designed to draw the crowds and to create publicity.
"With its outrageous gold trim and luxurious interior, it achieved everything Healey set out to achieve at the 1958 London Motor Show, and we fully expect it to have a similar effect with enthusiasts and collectors at our New York sale."

No doubt one of the most glamorous classic cars around, the "Goldie" will go under the hammer at RM Sotheby's New York auction on December 6.

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